ON TIMEBOARD

IAH → BNA on time

Houston Bush Intercontinental (Houston, TX) to Nashville (Nashville, TN). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
76%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
0.4%
1,796 flights
Typical arrival
−2 min
median vs schedule
When late
+62 min
average delay
Flights / day
5
1 airline

76% of flights from Houston to Nashville arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is worse than the typical U.S. route. The 7 a.m. departures ran on time 87% of the time; the 4 p.m. ones 59%. 8% of flights arrived more than an hour late or not at all.

How late?

The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for IAH → BNA: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 58% of the time. About 1 in 14 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 75 three hours or more; 0.4% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 1,796 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
United Airlines1,79676%0.4%−2 min7.1%+62 minUnited Airlines 59%, SkyWest 21%, Mesa Airlines 20%, CommutAir 0%

Airline = the name on the ticket. Regional flights (e.g. "Delta Connection") count under the ticketing airline, and the operator is listed.

Best time of day to fly

On-time rate by scheduled departure hour (local time at IAH). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%7 a.m. departures: 87% on time (358 flights)877a8 a.m. departures: too few flights8a9 a.m. departures: too few flights9a10 a.m. departures: too few flights (84 flights)10a11 a.m. departures: 81% on time (208 flights)8111anoon departures: 79% on time (110 flights)7912p1 p.m. departures: too few flights (45 flights)1p2 p.m. departures: 78% on time (160 flights)782p3 p.m. departures: too few flights (75 flights)3p4 p.m. departures: 59% on time (200 flights)594p5 p.m. departures: too few flights5p6 p.m. departures: 70% on time (363 flights)706p7 p.m. departures: too few flights (24 flights)7p8 p.m. departures: 69% on time (151 flights)698p
IAH → BNA, share of flights arriving on time, by departure hour. Hours with under 100 flights are greyed out.
82%+ on time76–82%68–76%under 68%too few flights

Last flight of the day

On IAH → BNA, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 0.8% of the time, against 0.4% for its earlier flights (2.3× as often). It arrived 3+ hours late 2.5% of the time (earlier flights: 1.1%). It matters more than the numbers suggest. Miss an earlier flight and there's another one that evening; miss the last one and you're usually waiting until morning.

AirlineLast departureLast: cancelledLast: 3h+ lateEarlier: cancelledNext morning
United Airlines8:31 p.m.0.8%2.5%0.4%first flight 7:40 a.m.

Last flight = the airline's last scheduled departure on this route that day, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Times are typical scheduled times over the latest three months.

If you need to be in BNA tonight, book an earlier flight so there's a backup if it's cancelled.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: February (88%). Worst: July (65%).

40%70%100%Jan: 77% on time (454 flights)77JanFeb: 88% on time (431 flights)88FebMar: 77% on time (552 flights)77MarApr: 77% on time (528 flights)77AprMay: 69% on time (544 flights)69MayJun: 65% on time (539 flights)65JunJul: 65% on time (557 flights)65JulAug: 79% on time (484 flights)79AugSep: 84% on time (571 flights)84SepOct: 84% on time (623 flights)84OctNov: 86% on time (607 flights)86NovDec: 81% on time (548 flights)81Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday27776%0.4%
Tuesday23375%0.0%
Wednesday25483%0.0%
Thursday26574%0.0%
Friday26672%0.0%
Saturday23277%0.9%
Sunday26972%1.9%

Why flights were late

Share of delay minutes on flights 15+ minutes late, as reported to BTS by the airlines.

Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 33%Late inbound plane 30%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 29%Severe weather 8%

Cancellations: weather 8

Month by month

50%75%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Sep 2023: 83% on time, 0.8% cancelledOct 2023: 85% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2023: 93% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2023: 86% on time, 0.4% cancelledJan 2024: 73% on time, 6.0% cancelledFeb 2024: 92% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2024: 83% on time, 0.5% cancelledApr 2024: 81% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2024: 60% on time, 3.8% cancelledJun 2024: 70% on time, 1.6% cancelledJul 2024: 63% on time, 5.5% cancelledAug 2024: 83% on time, 0.0% cancelledSep 2024: 84% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2024: 86% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2024: 87% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2024: 78% on time, 1.4% cancelledJan 2025: 79% on time, 8.6% cancelledFeb 2025: 82% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2025: 77% on time, 0.5% cancelledApr 2025: 81% on time, 0.7% cancelledMay 2025: 78% on time, 2.5% cancelledJun 2025: 59% on time, 4.6% cancelledJul 2025: 65% on time, 1.2% cancelledAug 2025: 74% on time, 0.0% cancelledSep 2025: 84% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2025: 80% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2025: 76% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2025: 78% on time, 0.0% cancelledJan 2026: 83% on time, 5.0% cancelledFeb 2026: 87% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2026: 69% on time, 1.3% cancelledApr 2026: 69% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2026: 72% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2026: 63% on time, 0.0% cancelledJul 2026: 70% on time, 0.0% cancelledAug 2026: 77% on time, 0.0% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
IAH → BNA, monthly on-time and cancellation rate.

Flight numbers on this route

Regular flights with at least 120 scheduled trips in the past year. Sorted by departure time.

FlightDepartsFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrivalOperated by
UA 21747:40 a.m.26686%0.4%−6 minUnited Airlines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Nov 2, 202560%0
Mar 16, 202650%1
Mar 7, 202650%0
Jan 25, 202640%4
Apr 27, 2026617%0

Nearby airport alternatives

Other ways to make the same trip, using airports within 60 miles of Houston or Nashville. None has been clearly more reliable than IAH → BNA.

RouteFlightsOn timeCancelled
IAH → BNA (this route)1,79676%0.4%
HOU → BNA Houston Hobby to Nashville1,83577%0.7%

Questions

How often are flights from IAH to BNA on time?

76% of 1,796 scheduled flights from Houston, TX to Nashville, TN arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 0.4% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly IAH to BNA?

Flights scheduled to leave at 7 a.m. were the most reliable (87% on time). The 4 p.m. departures were the least (59%).

What month has the most delays from IAH to BNA?

July (65% on time). The best month is February (88%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from IAH to BNA more likely to be cancelled?

Yes. Each airline's last IAH–BNA flight of the day was cancelled 0.8% of the time over the past year, against 0.4% for its earlier flights. If the last flight is cancelled, the next one is usually the following morning.

Related

Domestic flights by the airlines that report to the U.S. DOT, plus their regional partners. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes after schedule; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Past performance is a guide, not a forecast. Method.